title: [A case of relapsing polychondritis with respiratory symptom manifestation alone].
abstract: Relapsing polychondritis, a comparatively rare condition systemically affecting organs containing collagen, such as cartilage tissue, is diagnosed based on clinical manifestations and pathological findings. Our case report involves a respiratory symptom alone. A 65-year-old man seen for fever and dyspnea was found in computed tomography and endoscopy to have subglottic and tracheal stenosis, necessitating tracheostomy and tracheal cartilage biopsy. Pathologically bony cartilage change was seen but no definite auricular inflammation findings. Additional auricular cartilage biopsy, showed no inflammation. Residual auricular cartilage scarring, however, indicated cartilage destruction by previous inflammation or trauma, yielding a final diagnosis of relapsing polychondritis. Steroid therapy quickly relieved symptoms. Auricular cartilage biopsy thus proved useful in definitively diagnosing this condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Kobe.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shinohara
authors.forename: Keizo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tona
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Risa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kurihara
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011081:Polychondritis, Relapsing / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000209:etiology*